Montana Native Youth Conference 2018 With Graphic Novel Storytelling Contest

NAMI Montana is honored to be able to volunteer as a fiscal agent for a grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation to help the Indian Education Division of the Office of Public Instruction and a number of tribal entities put on this year’s Montana Native Youth Conferences. These events are great opportunities for Montana’s native youth to bond and build leadership skills to help strengthen their communities for decades to come.

NAMI Montana asked the conference organizers to do something special this year to help young men and women build their ability to tell and share their stories widely through the use of graphic novel techniques. 

Specifically, they will be learning how to use their cell phones, a photo filter app, and Google Slides to create graphic novel stories. The best five stories will receive Amazon Gift cards (shown above).
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NAMI Montana used these storytelling techniques to successfully advocate for the Montana Mental Health Parity Act at the last Legislative session. We are also working with an intern on expanding our education material in this manner.

​We’re excited to see what stories and messages come out of this year’s Conference attendees both at these events and in the years to come!